Friday, July 19, 2024

Flowers enshrine my heart between their petals....

Flowers enshrine my heart between their petals....
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Click on any image to see full-size - opens in a new tab.

Flowers enshrine my heart between their petals; that's why my heartbeats love them so much - Munia Khan

Flower Photography

My Front Yard

This year we decided to try1 turning our front yard into a pollinator garden - good for pollinators, good for the environment, and good for my photography. We had some flowers bloom but, overall, it didn't work out. I was able to get some images before we mowed everything down and will consider a saparte blog post for them in the future.

We have quite a few ferns growing in the flower beds, and I have made many images of them; Fern Arch is one of my favorite images. I know there are many different ferns, and their bracken relatives, but I have no idea which this may be. If anyone reading this knows it's name, please let me know in the comments below or via email.

The orange daylily shown here has been growing at the end of my driveway for the last few years but I forgot all about it because the azalea was doing a good job of hiding it. 😉 I was on my way back from getting the mail one afternoon when it popped out and flagged me down. I went out the next day but it was looking a bit beat up but there were more buds getting ready to shine. I checked one day and found this beauty. These are focus stacked macro images made using extension tubes in the form of my Vello Macrofier3 and edited using my "dark and moody" flower preset in Lightroom.

My Porch

My wife has a green thumb and is growing a variety of plants on our front porch, giving me a lot of subjects to chose from. These four (4) images are just a small glimpse into what I have captured over the last few years. In reality, the front porch has been a great source of inspiration since I began working from home at the onset of the Great Pandemic of 2020.

Yakkety Yak is a Spotted Dead-nettle (Lamium maculatum) that has growing in two (2) porch rail containers for a few years now. I enjoy following the life-cycle of this plant and trying to get as close as I can to capture all of the fine details and the color is so vibrant. The best part about having this plant in the rail planter is that I don't have to get down on the ground; getting down isn't a problem but getting back up could be entertaining to see for anyone watching.

Dark and Moody Tulip and The Heart of the Tulip are both the same potted Orange/Red Tulip that my wife brought home one day. The day I made these images it was rather windy so I brought the plant inside, using our picture window as my sole light source. One of the biggest hurdles with flower photography, especially macrophotography, is battling wind. There are times when I go outside and don't feel even a hint of a breeze but, upon magnifying the image on the back of the camera to focus I can see there is enough to make the flower sway.

The Ready to Strike, a Purslane plant, is the most recent addition to our porch collection. This is a plant that I had never seen before but my wife grew up with her grandmothers growing it. While the blooms are quite beautiful - vibrant red with a yellow center - I happened to see this leaf one afternoon while exploring the best composition for a macro image of a blossom. When I saw this in the viewfinder I saw a snake getting ready to strike. I tried to get a bit more light on the stem but not sure the image would be better, or worse, had I been successful.

Deep Cut Gardens

My wife and I love going to Deep Cut Gardens, there is always something there to see. We will usually start in the parking lot (where else?) and take the walkway past the Koi Pond, make a quick stop in the Visitor Center, and then down the stairs to the Rose Partarre. Depending on the weather, and what is blooming, this could take a while. There is a beautiful Japanese Maple tree that I have been trying to get a good image of but so far, I have come up short. I am determined that some day I will come home with a winner.

The last time we visited I went straight to the greehouse. This proved to be a great idea but it sure was hot! One of the biggest advantages of the greenhouse is, of course, there is no wind to contend with but it is also usually fairly empty. The greenhouse has a variety of orchids growing, this White Moth Orchid is one of my favorites. The orchid is one flower that begs to be looked at closely - the black and white macro image shows why. To me, it looks like a bird (or a moth, maybe) swooping in to capture something in it's claws. The black and white treatment really brought out the "eyes." The black and white conversion was done with Nik Controls Silver Efex Pro 2 as a plug-in in Lightroom.

The Echeveria gibbiflora (I think I have identified it properly, if not please let me know) was the first thing I saw entering the greenhouse; I'm not sure if I have ever photographed a succulent before that day but they are certainly on my radar now. It isn't hard to see how Mother-of-Pearl" plant, aka Ghost plant, got it's name; with it's pale leaves it is a stark contrast to the Echeveria.

The images here are just a small sampling of what can be found in the greenhouse and a very small percentage of what you will see at Deep Cut Gardens. For more information about Deep Cut Gardens, you can check out their website - here - or one of my previous posts shown below.

Random Images - not really flowers

I have a couple more images that I really like but they don't necessarily fit with the "flower" theme. If I am being honest, I am adding this section so that I can use this quote that has been sitting in my quotation database for a while.
The difference between a flower and a weed is perspective. - Christian Baloga
For years I watched my father, and our neighbors, laboring to rid the lawn of "weeds" - dandelions in particular. When I bought a house of my own I started out doing the same but have since seen the light. I have captured many images of weeds over the years and will continue to do so. One of the benefits, other than having subject matter, is that many are beneficial plants for pollinators. I never understood how many self-identified "environmentalists" I have met are the same ones killing off the weeds. 😒

I am overjoyed when I find a dandelion that has gone to seed, the detail is incredible. Normally I will only stop and look at those with a "full head" but this particular one seemed to grab me by the ankles and not let me walk by. Perfection is so over-rated.

The Japanese Honeysuckle was made while on a scouting excursion along the Secaucus Greenway with a friend. The boardwalk entrance is found within Mill Creek Park in Secaucus and I thought there may have been a sunset composition somewhere in the park or on the boardwalk. I had stopped to check a potential composition and just happened to look down - that is when I found this honeysuckle growing on a downed log about six feet below.

These two (2) images are great examples of why we - photographer or not - need to keep our heads on a swivel, looking all around, up-and-down while we are out in nature. You never know what you are going to find.

In Closing....

I hope you have enjoyed seeing small parts of the world through my lens and hope I have encouraged you to slow down and enjoy the natural world around us.

  1. We tried to create a pollinator garden but, unfortunately, it didn't work out. We are going to try again next year.
  2. The Heart of the Tulip was made using Vello Macrofier3 with my 18-135mm zoom @ 135mm.
  3. See Still-Life Macro Photography with the Vello Macrofier and Product Review: Vello Macrofier for Canon EOS (UPDATED!) for information.
  4. Wishes in Waiting was made with the Vello Macrofier and Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

    Technical information (unless otherwise specified):
  • All images were made with a tripod, unless specified otherwise
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lenses: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • ISO 100
  • Manual Exposure and Manual Focus
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release, unless handheld.

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: New Jersey, USA

Monday, December 11, 2023

Macro (and Close-Up) Photography - A Whole New World

Macro (and Close-Up) Photography - A Whole New World
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Ah.... Macrophotography....

I was looking back at my posts here and noticed the last time I wrote specifically about macrophotography was in August 2018 - Still-Life Macro Photography with the Vello Macrofier and Product Review: Vello Macrofier for Canon EOS (UPDATED!). I have re-visited the world of macro over the past year and it has opened up a whole new world for me.

I am using the term macro to include close-up; the true interpretation of macro means 1:1 (or lifesize) or greater magnification. I am including images here that do not quite fit that constraint but are close. I do not own a "macro" lens, both of my zoom lenses have a maximum magnification of 1:4. I achieve macro utilizing extension tubes, specifically the Vello Macrofier.

Outdoors

I love being outdoors and immersing myself in the beauty of nature. When I started my photographic journey many, many years ago I mostly took photos of people - specifically family. It didn't take long for me to turn my lens to the natural world; that is when the fire was lit and I became passionate about photography. My work consisted mostly of grand landscapes, sunrise/sunset, and seascapes and I was very happy. When the pandemic hit and the world shut down in March 2020 my landscape was limited to what I could find outside my front and back doors at home - that sparked my "Backyard Discoveries" project.

Earlier this year I started a serious trek into macrophotography and spent much of my time around the yard looking for suitable subjects. One of my favorite outdoor macro subjects are mushrooms - they are also the most elusive. If you have ever attempted macrophotography "in the wild" I think you would agree that even the slightest breeze can ruin you day. When you get up-close-and-personal any movement is magnified, combine that will smaller apertures and corresponding longer exposures life can become more of a waiting game. A single-image is challenge enough, add to that focus-stacking, things get really challenging. I also learned a new technique for achieving greater depth of field; normally I would use "focus stacking", recently I learned about "aperture stacking". I am not going to take space here to explain the differences, check the section below.

The Golden Scalycap is a mushroom that I found on a dead log in the woods next to my house. It was part of a group of three (3) mushrooms but I got in as tight as I could to single out this one. The image is a three (3) exposure HDR or exposure blend with the light being supplied by a speedlight with softbox. I moved the light around between exposures to highlight different parts of the mushroom. I could have used a reflector for a more subtle effect but didn't have one with me. The other mushroom was found in my back yard; it is the first time I tried "aperture stacking", using Helicon Focus1 to combine the images. The only light came from the sunlight coming through the few leaves still on the trees and the camera mounted under the tripod. In this instance I set the exposure mode to "aperture priority" and let the camera choose the shutter speed since the exposure will be changing with each image.

Indoors - Studio Still Life

When I was outside looking for compositions I came across some interesting leaves but current conditions were not cooperating. I picked up the leaves and brought them inside with the intention of bringing them outside when conditions permitted. There came a time when I decided I was tired of waiting and began doing some still-life work. I follow many photographers on YouTube, some of which specialize in studio photography and macro photography. I learned a lot watching the videos, now I had a good reason for putting that new found knowledge to work.

I had done some studio still-life but hadn't done any macro work - it was time to start. I grabbed some coffee beans to play with and found one lighter colored bean in the handful I grabbed. This is one case where a shallow depth of field in a macro image is a good thing. I used the narrow view to help make the odd bean really stand out, I also highlighted it a bit in post-processing to accentuate it's uniqueness in the group. I also have a focus stack image of the same composition that I will include at the end of this article, along with other images.

The Gummi Bears were left over from Halloween; I put them on a piece of glass, set the flash with softbox underneath and made this image. I "cheated" a bit and created the black background in Photoshop. (I have since bought some black card stock and will use that in the future.) This image brings me back to my high school years - back then, in the dark ages, Gummi Bears weren't widely available and we could only get them when a classmate visited the PX at the local Army post.

This year seems to be the "Year of the Oak", everywhere I turn in my yard I see oak leaves and acorns. For the image shown here I put a piece of glass on top of a black keyboard mat in order to get a nice reflection. The lighting was provided by a single speedlight with a softbox. Using a high shutter speed and small aperture made the gray seamless paper background go black. Some of the leaves had some really interesting twists and holes in them - you will find those images, along with another view of the maple leaf, with the other images at the end of this article.

The maple leaf was a surprise find. I had been outside to take a quick look at something, camera was left inside, and came across a leaf with some dappled lighting that I thought would make a nice image. I went inside to get my camera but when I got outside I couldn't find the leaf, what I found instead was this maple leaf. The way the light was shining on it made the back side of the leaf look almost pure white, I brought it inside to be shot at a later date. I shot the maple leaf during the same session as the oak leaves and acorns, using the same surface and lighting.

Focus stacking vs Aperture stacking

Aperture stacking is a new technique for me, one that I learned about while watching a macro-related video on YouTube. I have done a lot of focus stacking, combining anywhere from two (2) to thirty (30) or so images. I will briefly describe each technique here and provide links to other resources if you wish to get more in-depth information.

Focus stack

Focus stack is the most common technique used for maximum depth of field in all (most) disciplines of photography; I have used it in my landscape photography, in addition to my macro work. The process is quite simple, you take multiple images - changing the focus point for each image. I like to start at the closest point and then towards infinity. The number of images required is more of an art than a science, it depends upon the focal length, aperture, magnification, and how much you want in focus. It is best to overestimate the number of images - it is better to have more than you need because you cannot go back if you miss something. The images are then opened in Photoshop (or Helicon Focus) as a stack, the software will then mask each of the images to show the sharpest portions of each image.

Aperture stack

Aperture stacking is an interesting technique and is somewhat easier than focus stacking. This technique is different in that the focus point remains constant throughout the stack - the aperture, and therefore the shutter speed, changes. I started by focusing on slightly in front of the mushroom and set my aperture at f/5.6 with my camera set to "aperture priority" mode. I then took a series of images, closing down the aperture in 1/3 stop increments until I reached f/36. I did a quick, basic, edit of the images and then sent them to Helicon Focus to do the stack. Once the stack was complete, I finished my edits in Lightroom.

The Results and Conclusion

I found that each method produces satisfactory results and was happy with the results using each. One of the advantages of aperture stacking is that I can do it "blindly", meaning I don't have to focus between images which makes ground-level shooting much easier. A big downside when shooting outside is that light can change quickly meaning that the exposure can be considerably different between images. Of course, you could set exposure manually but that makes in quite a bit more work.

Focus stacking is still my "go-to" technique - I like to work from front-to-back. Focus stacking requires changing the focus point between images while keeping the exposure consistent throughout. As I mentioned previously, the number of images and focus points of each image is more of an art than a science. You can make your guesswork a bit more scientific if you calculate the hyperfocal point for a lens/aperture combination and then set the focus point. When working with macro the depth of field is so shallow - fractions of an inch - that hyperfocal distance is all but ineffective.

The is another technique used for focus stacking but it is one that I have never used - I mention it here for the sake of completeness. The technique requires a macro focus rail, it is a geared platform that sits on a table or attaches to a tripod and moves the camera in small increments. To shoot the stack, you focus on the closest point, make the image and then move the entire platform slightly closer to the subject, thereby changing the point of focus. Once you have all of the images, the process is the same as the other two methods.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

    Notes:
  1. Helicon Focus is a widely used shareware package used for combining focus stack/aperture stack images. I have used Photoshop to do my focus stack work but find that it can be hit-or-miss when I combine more than three (3) or four (4) images - Helicon Focus provides more consistent results with large stacks.
    Technical information:
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lenses: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Lenses: Canon EF 75-300mm f/4
  • Extension tube: Vello Macrofier for Canon
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • Flash: Canon 430 EX II Speedlight
  • Softbox (for speedlight): Neewer (4.9" x 5.9")
  • ISO 100
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.
  • Unless otherwise specified, all images are manual focus and manual exposure.

The rest of the images

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: Neptune Township, NJ, USA

Saturday, July 23, 2022

Backyard Discoveries: Hosta

Backyard Discoveries: Hosta
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Hostas

This is my third "Backyard Discoveries" blog post and there is at least one more coming, that one is about ferns. I know, it's unfair that I should tease but you'll just have to wait patiently. 😁

I have known about the hostas in the flower bed, they have very distinct leaves, but don't remember seeing the long stalks with blooms on them before. I guess I never paid much attention or thought they were some other plant. Now that I have discovered them, I have been trying to document their growth when the weather allows me to spend time outdoors.

I am going to keep this post uncharacteristically brief and just let the images speak for themselves. The images were all made in the early-to-mid afternoon, for some I used a large diffusion panel held at arms length to lessen the harsh light.

In the case of the last image, Hosta Bloom #3, I decided to give it a warmer tone, similar to what one would expect around sunset.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

    Technical information:
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lens #1: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Lens #2: Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • ISO 100
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.
  • Diffusion panel/Reflector: Selens xyz" diameter

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: Neptune Township, NJ, USA

Monday, June 6, 2022

Dandelions - The Unseen Beauty

Dandelions - The Unseen Beauty
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
Dandelions, Like All Things In Nature, Are Beautiful When You Take Time To Pay Attention To Them - June Stoyer

The Lowly Dandelion

Ah.... The dandelion.... When it goes to seed, the dandelion is a single-use "toy" for children (young and old 😉); to the average homeowner it is a weed that needs to be eradicated. When it comes to me, I rather enjoy the way they look when they are yellow and am amazed at the complexity of the head when it goes to seed. It wasn't until I starting working from home full-time in March 2020 that I really discovered the wonder of this lowly weed.
If dandelions were hard to grow, they would be most welcome on any lawn. - Andrew Mason
It was then that I started turning my camera on things I found in my yard and, subsequently, discovered the beauty of many things we simply ignore in our everyday lives. This was the beginning of my "Backyard Boredom" ("Backyard Discoveries") project which proudly included the dandelion. I couldn't go anywhere so I started taking a good look at my back yard for inspiration. You can read all about the project here and here.

When life is not coming up roses look to the weeds and find the beauty hidden within them. - L.F.Young

Brevity is the word of the day and so I am just going to let the images speak for themselves. Let me know your thoughts about the dandelion in the comments below. Are you one who enjoys them or do you immediately reach for the Ortho sprayer to kill them?

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

    Technical information:
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lenses: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • ISO 100
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: New Jersey, USA

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Beauty in a Parking Lot

Beauty in a Parking Lot
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Roses

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - William Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet)

I was in the parking lot of a local supermarket the other day waiting for my wife to finish her shopping. I was parked next to a "divider" with various bushes in it; among the bushes I found the beauties. I will freely admit that I am not very knowledgeable about plants and flowers but concensus seems to be that these are hybrid tea roses - specifically Adolf Horstmann.

As is often the case, the first thing I did was take out my phone and fire off a few images. The camera has a macro-mode so I used that and got in close. The first image shown here is from the phone, edited using Lightroom for Mobile on my Samsung tablet. I am always impressed by how good the images are coming from the phone, I wouldn't want to make a large print but they are nice for sharing online.

The rest of the images were made with my DSLR, as listed in the section below.

I quickly set up the tripod, attached my remote release, and mounted the camera. Quickly was key; one of the biggest obstacles in flower photography is wind and I could feel a slight breeze starting to blow. The closer you get to your subject, the more pronounced the problem. Of course, one way to combat movement is with a fast shutter speed but it was a cloudy, late afternoon and there was a lot of dark green to contend with. I don't like boosting my ISO beyond 400 and even that is a last resort. This meant working quickly, while at the same time being patient - sometimes having to wait a while for the wind to stop.

“We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.” – Dale Carnegie

I ended up with about a dozen different images of three (3) different blossoms; not bad considering I was leaning against my car and didn't move more than about five (5) feet the whole time. It is amazing what you can find if you just take the time to stop and smell the roses. 😃

I'm sure most of us see the plants growing in, and around, parking lots but how many actually stop to look at them? Do we notice but not really see them? What is the most unusual place that you have made images of flowers? What is the most unusual place you have made any image? I would love to hear your story in the comments below.

You can see more images from this photo session by visiting my Instagram - @Valencia32Photo.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

    Technical information:
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lenses: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • ISO 100
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.
  • Aperture-priority was used for all exposures used in this post
  • Information in parenthesis after exposure settings indicate "exposure compensation" setting, if used

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: Ocean Township, NJ, USA

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Art Exhibit - Summer Nights

Art Exhibit - Summer Nights

Summer Nights

“Holler if you’re ready for some summer nights.” – Rascal Flatts

I am happy to announce that I will have two (2) photographs, Childhood Memory Maker and Splash on the Rocks selected for the Summer Nights exhibit at The Gallery @ Thompson Park. I am even happier to announce that I will be joined by my daughter, Katie, who also will have a photograph in the exhibit. Check out Katie's Facebook page. The show runs June 3rd to August 10th, Wednesday to Sunday 12pm-4pm. There will be an Opening Reception on 3 June 2022 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

All artwork is available for sale with 30% of the proceeds going to the gallery to help continue programs like this one. This is my fourth time exhibiting at The Gallery having participated in Into the Woods, The Silence of Winter, and Neon Spring. I will leave links to blogs posts about those exhibits below.

Childhood Memory Maker

Childhood Memory Maker is one of my favorite images and is an example of one of those times that keeping your eyes open pays off. I had stopped at the beach in Spring Lake because I saw one of the jettys covered in sea gulls. I walked over to the jetty and took a number of images of the birds, ocean, and rocks. I came away with a few reasonably good images but as I was walking back to the car I came across the winner!

I learned a long time ago not to put my camera away until I get back to the car. There have been a couple ocassions when I lost a great opportunity because I wasn't ready. I found this child's shovel abandoned in the sand; immediately drawn to it, I set out to find the composition. I knew it had the potential for being a special image but didn't realize how good it would be. The way the shovel is perched at the top of the "wave" of sand, perfectly undisturbed sand surrounding the shovel, and alternating pattern of light and dark sand repeating throughout was almost too good to be true.

I have been asked if I set this shot up and the answer is, "No, this is scene is exactly as I discovered it."

“Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.” - Sarah Kay

A Splash on the Rocks

A Splash on the Rocks is from a series of images I made during sunrise at Ocean Grove. Whenever the ocean is involved (or any constantly changing subject) you never really know what you are getting until after the shutter is tripped. Sunrise at the beach is a special thing to witness and something I don't do nearly enough. While most sunrise/sunset photographs are wide-angle and show as much of the landscape (or in this case, seascape) as possible, I also like to get a bit more intimate with the scene.

Luck was with me this particular morning, the tide was rising and there were plenty of good-sized waves to add interest. After getting my rising sun peeking over the horizon I decided to get closer to the jetty to capture the interaction between the waves and jetty. One of the biggest challenges capturing water is choosing the right shutter speed for the ocassion. A high speed shutter will freeze the water, showing each individual droplet, bubble, and anything caught in the wave. The slower you go, the more "fluid" the water gets, blurring detail while showing motion. I prefer the slower speeds as I feel they have a calming affect to the viewer. There is just enough blur in this image to show motion, yet enough detail to show bubbles in the water and droplets flying away from the splash.

I hope you can get a chance to stop by the exhibit to see my photos up-close-and-personal but also to see the work of so many other talented artists - such as Katie. I also hope you will consider making a purchase while there to help support the arts and local artists.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: Thompson Park, 805 Newman Springs Rd, Lincroft, NJ 07738, USA

Saturday, May 14, 2022

Backyard Discoveries: Azaleas

Azaleas
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Azalea Japonica

1/30 sec @ f/5 - 200mm (320mm) - Lens #2

It was two (2) years ago that I published Lily of the Valley closely followed by Backyard Discoveries here; I also published My COVID-19 Backyard Boredom Project on my other blog. This blog post is a continuation of the project.

Capturing the Images

I live in a neighborhood where everyone has a mailbox at the end of their driveway, most with small flowerbeds planted around them. We have daffodils and a clematis planted in our bed and I often find myself sitting in the street setting up my tripod during various stages of the daffodil's life. I can only imagine how entertaining it must be for any neighbor watching as I try to stand up. 😉 😄 The other side of the driveway has two (2) small shrubs (I forget the name, but they are some type of dwarf shrub), the azalea bush, and an evergreen tree that grew up out of nowhere. I never really paid much attention to that side of the driveway but something caught my eye the other day and I am glad it did.

I noticed the red petals of the azalea against a dark green background, and wondered how many times I have looked at them but never really saw them. I ran (okay, I didn't run, I slowly walked) into the house, put the mail on the table, grabbed my gear and headed back out. It was an overcast day with a bit of a breeze making it challenging to get sharp images - I like to keep my ISO at 100 whenever possible, going as high as 400 if I have to. For those blooms in deep shadow I used a large aperture in order to keep the shutter speed up, something I usually don't do with flowers. The limited depth of field turned out to be a good thing in many of the images, would you agree?

The next day I was back out to the azalea bush again, the sun was out and there was almost no wind. The images used here were made over this two-day period.

Processing the Images

When I started my digital photography journey I shot exclusively in JPEG, mostly because I didn't understand RAW but also because I wasn't a firm believer in Photoshop. I was of the opinion that it was "cheating" and felt that way until a friend brought up Ansel Adams. Ansel was not only a master photographer, he was a master printer; spending hours perfecting the print with dodging and burning, along with other techniques. I realized that Photoshop, and Lightroom, were digital darkrooms and that it was okay to use them.

The majority of my post-processing is done in Lightroom, the only image in this post that saw any Photoshop work is the first one - that is actually a two-image focus stack that was blended in Photoshop after some editing in Lightroom.

Ordinarily, I would open up the shadows, bring down the highlights, bring up the "whites", darken the "blacks" and then do some fine-tuning of the overall exposure, contrast, vibrance, etc.... That was my "standard" editing workflow for quite some time; about the time of my "backyard discoveries" project I started modifying how I edit my flower images and I couldn't be happier with the results.

I start in the Calibration panel by tweaking the Red Primary, Blue Primary, and Green Primary saturation - I don't do anything with the hue or shadows in this panel. It is then that I go up to the Basic panel setting my white balance and then using "auto" to see what Lightroom thinks the image should look like and give me a jumping off point. This is the point that I start to deviate from my "normal" workflow.

Now I darken the overall image, especially the shadows. I use masking - often a radial filter - to work on my subject, brightening it up, opening up some of the shadows, bringing up some vibrance and fine-tuning the contrast. Depending on the image, I may then duplicate this mask, invert it, and further darken the background while decreasing saturation. I like the way this isolates the subject and creates a moody feel to the image. I have the RAW image, as-well-as the finished image, shown here so that you can see the difference.

The Rest

You can see more images from the two days I spent shooting the azalea bush by visiting my Instagram account - specifically here and here. You can see some other examples of this editing technique here and here.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

    Technical information:
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lens #1: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Lens #2: Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.5-5
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • ISO 100 (unless otherwise noted)
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: Neptune, NJ, USA

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Artistic Photography

Artistic Photography
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

What is "Artistic" Photography?

A friend of mine was "challenged" on Facebook to post an "artistic" photograph every day for ten (10) days. Dave is a retired sports photographer (see Interview with Sports Photographer Dave Schofield) and I love seeing his sports photos but he is also an accomplished landscape and travel photographer. His artisitic photos encouraged me to start doing the same, leading me to this blog post.

A quick search presented the following: "First and foremost, artistic photography has to be transformational, not merely representational. While you might happen to capture an incredible scene on your way to work, your photo can’t be considered art unless it has been changed in some way by your intelligence and thought process."1

The article goes on to say that this doesn't mean the image has to be manipulated or set up - it could be the act of "framing" the subject of the image or your choice of exposure. I tend to agree with this assessment, for the most part. The author of the article brings up some interesting points and I would recommend reading it (after you finish here, of course!) and have included a link below.

Moth Orchid

This beautiful blossom was found in the greenhouse at Deep Cut Gardens in Middletown. I had some time to spare before a meeting one day and decided to explore the greenhouse; about the only place at the park I wasn't very familiar with. Usually I will sit among the trees on the terraced grounds leading to the Rose Parterre but this day was a bit chilly and I wanted to see what was in the greenhouse.

I was initially drawn to the orchid's shimmering white petals with the yellow column; it is quite a stunning plant. I wanted a nice, tight shot and made a few images from different perspectives. When I got home I was happy with the color image but also thought it looked good in black & white. I took a closer look at the image when I was looking for an "artistic" image for Facebook. I started doing some creative editing using Lightroom and Silver Efex 2 Pro resulting in the final image presented here.

You can see another example of a Moth Orchid, this one in red, on my Instagram feed - here.

White Tulip

The white tulip is the only color image in this post, although, it is almost monochromatic. This image comes from an April 2012 trip to Deep Cut Gardens; at the time the parking lot had a median strip that served as a flower bed - the tulip was in that bed. I stopped at the park on my way home from work - it was still a couple hours from sunset but the sun was still fairly low in the sky. I was able to achieve the black background by metering, and exposing for, the brightest part of the white petals and setting the aperture "wide open" at f/5.6.

As usual, I checked the image on the back of the camera and was happy but it wasn't until I got home that I got the full effect. The background was darker than I expected but I was most happy about the hint of red in the background. The red streaks in the white flower, in addition to the blurred red tulip in the background, gave a nice accent to an otherwise monochromatic image.

Sunset @ Manasquan Reservoir

I know, a black & white sunset is insanity! Right? Well, for the most part sunsets (or sunrises) feature beautiful, multi-colored skies and, maybe, a lovely body of water. I cannot argue with that but I think the right sunset can be far more dramatic and awe-inspiring in monochrome. That is the case with this sunset, captured at Manasquan Reservoir in Howell. I was shooting a series of long exposures because there was a bit of a wind, the clouds were moving at a decent pace but I mostly wanted to smooth out the water. I was happy with the color version (you can see it here) but when I converted it to black & white and did some editing I thought it was much more dramatic.

I like using long exposures for sunsets because it takes something we all know quite well and makes it somewhat foreign to us. We cannot "see" a long exposure with our naked eyes, it is only something we can experience thru photography. I tend to use faster shutter speeds for sunrise because I am typically at the beach and the ocean waves can give some rather unpredicable results.

Moravian Cemetery - Hope, New Jersey

Raise your hand if you are a fan of the original Friday the 13th movie! Keep them raised if you recognize this scene from the movie. This is where Annie gets dropped off by the trucker before she heads down the road to Camp Crystal Lake. I have been wanting to visit this cemetery for years but never got the chance. This past October I finally got there. We had spent a few days in Pennsylvania, coming home thru "The Gap" and I realized remembered we weren't too far away. It was one of those days where we had nowhere to be and all day to get there so I set the GPS and headed back in time. We actually passed right by it without knowing.

The road is rather busy and there is no room to park so I pulled into the church parking lot, crossed the street and set the camera up on the corner. I have to admit, it was rather creepy being there and a level of uneasiness came over me. I was happy with the resulting image but it wasn't until I created the sepia-toned image shown here that I felt I had really captured the mood. You can see both the sepia and color image here. I am hoping to get back to capture a full moon over the gate and may even venture out on a Friday the 13th - unfortunately, the next full moon to fall on a Friday the 13th is 13 August 2049 and I will probably end up missing it.

Ocean Long Exposure

Remember a couple paragraphs ago I said I don't usually shoot long exposures at the ocean? Here is one of the exceptions. I purposely set out to shoot long exposures at the beach and headed to Spring Lake where I knew there were drainage pipes leading into the water. The pipes are held in place with pilings on either side. This location is the second of two that I visited that day. Since I was rather new at ocean long exposures I shot a lot and a variety of shutters speeds ranging from the five (5) seconds shown here to more than four (4) minutes. What I discovered was that there wasn't much difference in the resulting images. I found the black & white to be more dramatic than the color, especially since it seems to disappear into a vast nothingness.

So....

I have many other examples of what I consider to be "artisitic" images - you can find them in my Instagram feed (@Valencia32Photo), my Facebook page (JoeValenciaPhotography), and my Portfolio. Let me know what you think of the images here and tell me of some of your experiences in the field.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

    Technical information:
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lens #1: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Lens #2: Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • ISO 100
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Notes

1. Quote taken from WHAT IS ARTISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY? on WallArtPrints.com
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